I also loved the Doom Town scene (actually, the whole opening 15-20 minutes). I wish I hadn't known about it beforehand; other people in the theater gasped when they realized what was happening. Still, it was well done. The mushroom cloud was great CGI in my opinion; looked very real and beautiful.

Nuclear weapons don't just explode and that's it, they are a chain reaction that feeds on itself and continues for a short period of time. So, the fireball and mushroom cloud that forms will persist for a while after it detonates. (In response to those who have said it was stupid that Indy could still stand and watch it, presumably 30 seconds or so after it went off).

I think I'll go with the whole jungle chase/action sequence. The chase, the sword fighting, the fist fight (man, some of those punches sounded jaw-shattering!), and the ants.

Second would be the whole Hangar 51 sequence, followed by Doomtown. I agree with Gear Guardian. Although I was spoiled on the whole "escape via fridge" thing, I could still feel Indy's panic in Harrison's performance and the pacing of the sequence. I also like how one minute he's desperately trying to avoid detection by the Russians, then the next he's trying to flag them down to stop for him, and then goes, "Oh yeah, don't bother stopping for me!" as they speed past.

Quote:

Originally Posted by commontone

I wish I hadn't known about it beforehand; other people in the theater gasped when they realized what was happening.

Yeah, I think the lady seated infront of me gasped "Oh, crap" when she realized exactly what was about to happen.

I also loved the Doom Town scene (actually, the whole opening 15-20 minutes). I wish I hadn't known about it beforehand; other people in the theater gasped when they realized what was happening. Still, it was well done. The mushroom cloud was great CGI in my opinion; looked very real and beautiful.

Nuclear weapons don't just explode and that's it, they are a chain reaction that feeds on itself and continues for a short period of time. So, the fireball and mushroom cloud that forms will persist for a while after it detonates. (In response to those who have said it was stupid that Indy could still stand and watch it, presumably 30 seconds or so after it went off).

Yes. The opening half hour made the film for me. I loved the test site scene. When Indy made his way into the town and into the house I wasn't sure what was going on but when he saw all those manikins I had an 'Oh S......' moment in my head...

I also loved the Doom Town scene (actually, the whole opening 15-20 minutes). I wish I hadn't known about it beforehand; other people in the theater gasped when they realized what was happening. Still, it was well done. The mushroom cloud was great CGI in my opinion; looked very real and beautiful.

Same here. I also wish I hadn't read the script for Saucermen, in hindsight. However, I remember reading that Doom Town scene for the first time and thinking, "How's he going to get out of this?!" I actually thought it was one of the best cliffhangers they'd ever come up with.

But if I had to pick just one brief scene, it would probably be that final moment where Mutt picks up the hat. When Spielberg said he was thinking of how the fans would react to certain scenes, I know he relished the thought of how fans would react to that one.

And then comes that fantastic payoff with Indy taking the hat out of Mutt's hands and giving him that "not today, kid" grin. I had mixed emotions about watching Indy take the plunge up until that point, because that's where Spielberg made everything in the world right again.

There's so much to love in this film really - the motorcycle chase, the jungle chase, doom town (with that great shot of Indy staring into the atomic age), that opening bit with the hotrod and the Soviets shooting their way int Area 51, the ants...

I'd have to say my absolute favorite scene is the diner piece that leads into the bike chase. I like the interplay between Shia and Harrison and the quick one-liners like "I don't think they're here for the milkshakes," "do I look like a mailman," and "I think you just brought a knife...to a gunfight." Top it off with the music they chose for the scene ("Shake, rattle & roll") and the use of the diner props (the greasers attacking the jocks with glasses and chairs) and you've got one heck of a sequence.

But really, everything I named is fantastic. I was really blown away by the whole movie. It was a fun ride.

C'mon. That scene was F*(KIN' awsome! The sheer panic Indy was feeling was palpable. In my head I was thinking "Oh my god! How is he gonna get out?!!?"

Did everyone notice that Indy looked EXTREMELY old in this part of the movie.. Like he was simply out of place? I think it was done on purpose...and it WORKED....I only would have added in more flying debris to make it not seem like Indy was the only thing that was blown away from the site.